Interlocking structural unit



May 29, 1962 A. G. SEIPOS INTERLOCKING STRUCTURAL UNIT Filed Feb. 25, 1960 INVENTOR.

A ndrew G. Seipos ArraEA/EY This invention relates to a novel structural unit and to novel structures produced by the assembly of a plurality of such units.

Broadly stated the novel structural unit comprises a at the opposite ends thereof identical locking members adapted to have interlocking engagement with correspondingly shaped locking members of like structural units. The locking members are so constructed that they are brought into interlocking engagement by bodily lateral movement of the structural elements with respect to each other.

As this description proceeds, it will be clear that the device of the invention has a wide range of utility; that it may be made from any number of materials and that it may be embodied in forms having ornamental as Well as utilitarian advantages. However the feature common to all forms of the invention is that when a plurality of the structural units are united, a skeleton structure is produced which is adapted to serve as a space separating unit in a manner which will be better understood from a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figalres.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the invention wherein a plurality of the structural units are united to form a simple grill, which grill may be bounded by a frame, if desired,

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are elevations showing the manner of engagement of the locking devices of FIGURE 1 and,

FIGURE 5 is a tural units.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that each structural unit comprises an elongated body portion 5, said body portions having at their opposite ends locking members 6, said members being shaped to have interlocking engagement with correspondingly shaped locking members of companion structural elements. The locking members are of general S-shape shown and they face in the direction determined by the pattern of the grill or other skeleton structure that is to be produced. After a plurality of the structural units have been brought into assembled relation to produce a grill of the desired pattern, pins 8 are driven forcibly into cavities 9 at the confronting inner faces of the several locking members. These pins not only serve to prevent subsequent accidental separation of the structural units but they impart complete rigidity to the grill as a Whole. The pins 8 of course may be substituted by other securing members, such as screws, rivets or like fastening devices.

The grill may include an enclosing or bounding frame 10. Locking members 11, shaped like locking members 6 are employed to carry out the geometrical design of the device and, when engaged with the frame 10, the locking members 11 are secured in the geometrical design by the pins 8 and the peripheral units are secured to the bounding frame ill by screws or like fastening devices Mia. The locking members 11, as shown in FIG- URES l, 2 and 3 thus carry out the geometrical design with respect to the frame and with respect to arch openings or the like. It will be noted that the shape of the perspective view of one of the struclocking members 6 and 11 provide male portions 12 which engage in female channels 13 of companion locking members. These female channels extend entirely across the locking members from front to rear thereof, so that the male members of one locking element may have sliding engagement in the female channels of the companion locking member, by bodily lateral movement of any structural unit into place. Thereafter, the driving of the pins 8 into place gives the desired rigidity to the whole grill and prevents accidental separation of the parts. It will be noted that the female channels 113 are undercut because of the presence of a lip 13a, while the channels defined by the male members 12 are not undercut so that the lip 13a on each of the locking members 6 engages in the channel of the adjacent male member. In the form shown, each of the units 5 is arcuately shaped in quarter-circle form so that when four of these units have their locking members 6 interengaged, a circular structure such as shown at the left in FIG. 1 can be the result, or if desired, the structure shown at the right can also be produced.

When four of the locking members 6 are interengaged as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, they provide a central substantially rectangular passage 9 between them and when a pin, plug or other suitably shaped element is tightly driven through such passage, the several parts of the locking members are tightly wedged together into a rigid joint.

As previously stated, the invention covers a wide field of use. The structural units may advantageously be made as extrusions of aluminum or plastics and subsequently cut transversely in accordance with the width of the grill to be formed. Or, they may be made as castings. They may be molded from plastics or as masonry structures and may be of any siZe or longitudinal shapes. The individual elements readily lend themselves to aluminum extrusions in an economical manner. Thus, they serve as fences, partitions, patio, garage or other building Walls, ornamental windows and doors or any space separating units or grill closure. Since so many uses may be found for the basic idea involved and since other uses will readily suggest themselves to would be infringers, it is to be understood that the invention includes within its purview whatever changes fairly fall within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

l. A structural unit for skeleton structures comprising, a curved, elongated body portion provided at one end with a substantially allochiral of an S-shaped locking member defining a pair of channels, one of which channels is of undercut formation, said channels extending entirely through the locking member from front to rear thereof, a similarly shaped locking member being provided at the opposite end of the body portion and facing in a direction opposite to that in which the first locking member faces, the undercut portion of each of the undercut channels being defined by a lip, which lips fit into the nonundercut channels when a number of the locking members are interengaged, said locking members defining a substantially rectangular passage between them when a plurality of them are in interengaged relationship, Whereby a pin or similar element forced through such passage will serve to wedge the interengaged locking members together.

2. A grill structure composed of a plurality of curved members fitted together by means of interengaging locking elements provided at their ends, said locking elements being so shaped that when four of them are in interengaged relation they define a substantially rectangular passage between them, and a pin driven through said passage and serving to wedge parts of the several locking elements together, the locking elements being substantially allochiral of an S-shape, and each of said elements has two channels, one of said channels being undercut, the pin being driven through the passage at a point remote from any of the channels.

3. A structural unit for skeletonized structures such as grills or the like, comprising a substantially rigid body portion for forming a fragmentary portion of a repeating design, said body portion including similar, trans verse open-ended channel-forming portions at opposite ends, said channel-forming portions being oriented at different angular relationship with respect to each other and the general plane of said body port-ion, said channelforming portions each being allochiral of an S-shaped cross-section, each of said channel-forming portions terminating in mutually parallel faces having an L-shaped groove portion communicating therewith, and a groove portion opening in the opposite direction of said L-shaped groove and forming a section complementary to said L- shaped groove portion.

4. A skeletonized structure comprising in combination a plurality of structunal units each forming a fragmentary portion of a complete repeating design in said structure, each of said units including a substantially rigid body portion, said body portion including similar, transverse open-ended channel-forming portions at opposite ends, said channel-forming portions being oriented at different angular relationship with respect to each other and the general plane of said body portion, four of said channel-forming portions combining to form a substantially rectangular joint with an open passage therethrough, lock means received in said passage portion for retaining said channel-forming portions in locked relationship, said channel-forming portions being al'lochiral of an S-shaped cross-section, each of said channel-forming portions terminating in mutually parallel faces having an L-shaped groove portion communicating therewith, and a groove portion opening in the opposite direction of said L- shaped groove and forming a section complementary to said L-shaped groove portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,655,662 Repay Jan. 10, 1928 1,937,758 Harris Dec. 5, 1933 2,473,728 Rutledge June 21, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,180 Germany Ian. 28, 1880 592,876 Great Britain Oct. 1, 1947 

